Butter-cutting machine



C. F. MILLER.

BUTTER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. I919.

Patented May 2, 1922.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1919. 1 ,41 4,994 Patented May 2, 1922.

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CHARLES F1 MILLER,

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c. F. MILLER.

BUTTER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1919.

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c. F. MILLER. BUTTER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1919.

Patented May 2, 1922.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. I919. 1,414,994. Patented y 2,1922;

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CHARLES F. MILLER,

UTE TAT CHARLES E. MILLER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

BUTTER-CUTTING MACHINE,

Application filed March 12, 1919.

T 0 all to 710m 2'25 may concern.

Be it known that I, Crnxnnns F. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butter- Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to machines for cutting rectangular blocks or slabs of slightly plastic material into a plurality of pieces of uniform size. My invention relates more particularly to machines for use by creameries in dividing slabs or blocks of refrigerated butter into prints of uniform size and weight, such as pounds and quarter-pounds. The standard retail package of creamery butter is a. rectangular print weighing one pound, and its dimensions usually being 4% inches in length and inches square in transverse section. There is also a standard one-pound package con-- taining four separately wrapped quarterpound prints each of the same length as a pound-print, and one-half the Width and depth of the pound-print, so that the four small prints when laid together are of the same dimensions the pound-print. In most of the butter cutting machines now in use for the production of butter prints, there is employed a harp having Wires extending bot-h horizontally and vertically and spaced according to the transverse and vertical dimensions of the prints to be formed. Large blocks of butter are pushed through the described double or compound harp, producing pieces having a length equal to several of the standard pound prints, and the group or pile of long pieces are subsequently divided into print-lengths by cutting them through transversely. Machines of this character are usually hand-controlled, and separate operations are required, sometimes separate machines being used,- for making the longitudinal and transverse cuts. The two sets of wires, vertical and horizontal, in the harps, necessarily cross each other so that he wires of the set which is at the side from which the block of butter is pushed, are pressed against the wires of the other set, which must thus sustain a part of the pressure from the first set, as well as that pressure received directly from the butter. In consequence of said structure and mode of operation of these machines. the large blocks of butter cannot be cut at the tem- Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 282,214.

perature at which they are required to be kept when stored or under refrigeration, owing to the excessive stresses produced upon the harp-Wires, particularly upon the second set thereof which receive an extra pressure from the first set, as above noted; and any attempt to out very hard butter with harps of the above structure results either in breakage of the wires, or, at least, stretching thereof such that they will vary in position and produce prints of non-uniform size. which must subsequently be trimmed or built up by hand so as to be of the required Weight. The common practice is to remove the large blocks from under refrigeration two or three days before they are to be cut, and to temper said blocks by keeping them in a room of moderate temperature for such a time, in order that the material may be softened to a consistency permitting its passage through the harp without damage thereto. Obviously, the tempering operation must be prolonged in order that the change of temperature may be uniform throughout the large, blocks, and the central portions thereof softened the same as the outside. Further difficulty is encountered, moreover, after the formation of the prints from the softened or tempered butter, as the soft material cannot be handled for Weighing, wrapping and placing in cartons, as readily as prints formed from butter at storage temperature, and the packaging of the softer material must be effected in partially refrigerated rooms, Whereas the cold and fully hardened material can be handled in a room of ordinary temperature without becoming too soft before the packaging is completed.

The principal objects of my invention are to overcome the difliculties above enumerated, and particularly to provide an. efiicient and economically operable machine, by which blocks or slabs of butter taken directly from cold storage may be automatically cut into prints of perfectly uniform size. In attaining these objects, the butter to be cut in the machine provided by my invention is preferably stored in molds or boxes of which the depth is substantially the same as the length of the prints to be formed, with due allowance for shrinkage of the material between the time of packing and cutting the same. The blocks or slabs are taken directly from the storage room and dumped onto the receiving table of the cutting machine, from which they are pushed mechanically through Patented May 2, 1922.

a harp having only vertical wires, of which the length need not be materially greater than the length of the butter prints. The strips or bars, formed by pushing the slab through the first harp, pass directly onto a second part of the table, whence they are pushe latexall through a second harp of a construction substantially the same the first but arranged at a right angle thereto, so that the completed prints emerge from the second harp onto a discharge table where they stand on end, and from which the are delivered to the weighers and wrappers.

Other objects of my invention are to provide hydraulic actuating means and automatic controlling means tor the cutting mech anism, whereby the several operations will be completed in proper sequence and without further attention thereto, after the butter slab has been placed on the receiving table and a starting control-lever moved by the machine operator.

A further obj eet of my invention is to provide a single adjustable trimming device by means of which the weight of all prints formed from the slab maybe varied uni formly.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, I is a rear elevation of a machine embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sec ion on the plane of the line 3-3 of 1, Fl; is a vertical transverse section on the plane of the line 4 1. of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 5, Fig. '7 is a detail. vertical section on the line -7 of Fig. 2, Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal section on the line 88 of Fig. 7, F 9 is a detail vertical section through the first harp, Fig. 10 is a detail horizontal SeitiCl'l on the line lO10 of Fig. 9, Fig. 11 's a detail horizontal section through the ivdraulic valves and controlling mechanism .rcfor, Fig. is a detail front view of -ts of the. controlling mechanism, the rour-way valve being shown in vertical section, Figs. 13 and 1d are detail vertical sectional views taken respectively on the lines ii 13 and l l ll of Fig. 11, Fig. 15 is a vertical section through the two-way. valve, and Fig. 1G is a detail vertical section on the line 1l6-l6 of 11.

the illustr .ed embodiment of my invcntion I provide a base 17 which is sup ported on legs 18, and which carries posts or standards 19, 20 and .11, arranged as shown in Fig. 2. Said posts support the harpirames 22 and 23, there being at the adjacent sides of the posts vertically extending tongues 2% which fit into channels in the ends of the harp-frames, so that the latter retained in place, but may be lifted out vertically when desired, as for changing or replacing them with others having a greater or less number of wires. The harp-wires 25 are each attached tothe frames as follows: A loop is formed at one end of the wire, and said loop is passed over a pin 26 on the lower bar of the frame. From said pin the wire is passed around the bar, in which a groove is formed to receive the same, thence across the face of the frame to the upper bar, thence around said upper bar in a groove similar to that in the lower bar, and then wound once or more about a stem 27 and passed through a hole in said stem. The stems 27 have tapering end-portions which fit frictionally in tapered holes in the upper bars of the harp-frames, and the protruding ends oi the stems are squared to fit within a suitable winding-key by which they are turned to adjustthe tension of the wires.

The platform or support, over which the butter slabs are moved during the cutting operation, extends horizontally above the base 17 and comprises four parts or separate tables 28, 29, and 31, arranged as shown in Fig. 2, and each having an integral foot-portion which rests upon and is secured to the base, as shown. overhangs or extends out beyond the front edge of the base, as shown in Fig. e, and the inner ed e of said table is spaced from the adja ent edge of the table 29 to form between them a slot or open space extending longitudinally of the base. The tables 30 and 31 are spaced apart longitudinally of the base to 'torm between them a slot or open space extending transversely of the base. An angle-plate 32 is secured to the table 29 at the rear edge thereof, and serves a guide or gage for the slab of butter before and during the time it is being pushed through the first harp. An angle-bracket 33 is mounted directly upon the base and ektends in over the edge of the table 31, to perform a similar function for the strips or bar-portions formed by the first cutting of the slab.

For pushing the butter slab over the tables 28 and 29 and through the harp 22, there is provided a block 3% having a series of vertical kerfs therein registering with the wires of said harp, so that the portions between said kerl's may extend through the harp-frame at the conclusion of the pushing.

movement. Said block 34 is carried by a movable head comprising an angle-plate 35 which is adapted to pass through the slot or space between the tables 28 and 29, said angle-plate resting slidably upon the base, and having a tongue-portion which extends down through a longitudinal slot in the base. To said tongue-portion there is secured beneath the base a plate 36, shown only in Fig. 4-, said plate bearing against the lower side of the base and preventing tilting or tipping of the head under the re- The table 28- sistance offered by the butter slab to movement of the block 34 across the face of the tables. The movable head is driven by means of a rack-bar 37 of which one end is secured to the plate 36, the teeth on the lower side of the rack-bar meshing with a gear 38 carried on a transverse shaft 39. Said shaft is journaled in bearings 42 secured to the front and rear sides of the base 17 and is provided with set-collars 43 adjoining the bearings, which prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft. A gear 40 is secured on the shaft 39 and meshes with a horizontal rack-bar 41 which extends into the open end of a hydraulic cylinder 47 secured beneath the base 17 the rack-bar being attached as a piston-rod to a piston 46 working in said cylinder. A guide-bar 44 is secured to the base and extends transversely thereof directly above the shaft 39, said bar having lugs 45 which extend down at the sides of the rack-bars to guide and hold the same in mesh with the gears 38 and 40. The cylinder 47 is provided with a head 48 at the end opposite that through which the rack or toothed piston-rod 41 works, and a pipe 75, through which water is supplied to and discharged from the cylinder, is connected with an internally threaded nipple 49 on the cylinder-head. Hydraulic pressure within the cylinder moves the piston toward the open end of the same, and the reverse move-- ment is effected by means of a counterweight 52 which is connected with the head Or angle-plate 35 through the medium of a flexible cable 50 passing over a pulley 51 arranged at the end of the base, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to insure the production of fullweight prints therefrom, the slabs of butter are preferably molded slightly oversize, and the upper side and lateral edges of the slab are trimmed during the pushing of the slab through the first harp 22. The trimming of the lateral edges of the slab is effected by means of fixed knives 53 which are attached to the vertical end-bars of the harpframe, as shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10. The trimmings from said knives fall into suitable receptacles (not shown), disposed on the base 17 beneath the level of the tables. The upper side of the slab is trimmed by means of an adjustable trimmingknife 54 carried by a shaft 54 held in clamps 55 on the posts 19 and 20. The shaft may be rotated in the clamps to raise and lower the cutting edge of the knife, and the clamps may be slightly tilted on the posts, for making very close adjustments, the tilting being controlled by screws which engage the upper ends of the posts. as best shown in Figs. 1 and It will be noted that as said trimming-knife engages the ends of all the prints formed from the butter slab, any variation in the position of the knife will affect uniformly the weight of the prints, thus enabling very accurate and uniform gaging of the size thereof.

The long pieces or bars, formed by the passage of the butter slab through the first harp, arereceived on the tables 30 and 31, from which they are pushed laterally through the second harp. Said harp is provided near its ends with extra wires 25 which trim the ends of the'bars or pieces of butter passing through the harp, and the trimmings are separated from the'remainder of the mass by knives 57 carried on the posts 20 and 21, said knives having beveled blocks 58 thereon, as shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. The trimmings, directed outwardly by said blocks, fall into suitable receptacles (not shown) arranged beneath them. For pushing the bars through the second harp 23, there is provided a push-block 59 having a series of vertical kerfs registering with the wires of said harp. Said block is carried by a movable head similar to that carrying the push-block 34, said head comprising an angle-plate 60 having a tongue-portion 61 which extends through a transverse slot in the base 17, and a plate 62 secured to said tongue-portion beneath the base and bearing slidably thereagainst. A rack-bar 63 is secured to the plate 62 as best shown in Fig. 3, saidbar extending forwardly and its front end passing through a guide 64 on the base. The teeth formed on one side of the bar mesh with a gear 65 as shown in Fig. 5, said gear being mounted revolubly on the lower side of the base, and being actuated by means of a rack-bar66 connected as a piston-rod to a plunger or piston 68 working in a hydraulic cylinder 69. The portion of the rack-bar 66 adjoining the gear 65 is held in proper relation thereto by means of a guide 67 carried on the base, as shown in Fig. 3. The cylinder 69 is secured'beneath the base parallel with the cylinder 47, and is similarly provided witha head 70 having an internally threaded nipple 71 to which is attached a water supplying and discharging pipe 81.. For returning the movable head carrying the push-block 59, to its normal position at the rear side of the base, a countera weight 7 2 is provided, said weight being carried by a cable 73 passing over a pulley 74 and attached to the head, as shown.

Referring now to the mechanism for automatically controlling the supply of water under pressure to the cylinders 47 and 69, and the discharge of water therefrom, the details of said mechanism are shown in Figs. 11 to 16, inclusive, and the general arrangement best indicated in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The pipe 75, which is connected with the nipple on the head of the cylinder 47, extends downward to an ordinary two-way valve or cock comprising a body 7 6 and a rotary portion 77 having a single port extending tliroughit, as shown'in Fig. 15. To the lower opening of the Valve-body 76 there is connected a pipe 78 which extends first downward, then horizontally forward, and then upward to connect with the lower opening of a four-way valve, the latter comprising a body 7 9 hav ing four outlets, and a central rotary member 80 having two ports adapted to connect the outlets in adjacent pairs, as shown in Fig. 12. To the upper opening of the valvebody 79 there is connected the pipe 81 which extends to the nipple 71 on the head of the cyinder 69. To one side-opening of the valvebody 79 there is connected a pipe 82 through which water is supplied under suitable pressure, and a valve 83 is provided as shown in Fig. 1 for shutting off or restricting the supply of water through said pipe when desired. To the other side-opening of the valve-body 79 there is connected a discharge or drain pipe 84. The rotary valve-members 77 and 80 are axially alined with each other, as shown in Fig. 11, and to the body 80 there is fixedly connected a shaft 85 which is j ournaled in a bearing formed in a bracket-member 86 extended down from the base 17. In said bracket-member there is also journaled a rocking-shaft 87 which extends parallel with the shaft 85 and is provided at the front end with a hand-lever 88, the same extending upwardly and being movable between stops 89 and 90 secured on the front side of the base 17. An arm 91 is secured to the rocking-shaft and has a spring 92 connected therewith and to a part of the base, said spring tending to hold the hand-lever against the stop 89,as shown in Fig. 5, the position of the lever being that indicated at 3 in Figs. 1 and 12. At the end of the rocking-shaft opposite the hand-lever a crank 3 and a ratchet-wheel 94- are fixedly secured thereto, and between the ratchet-wheel and the member 86 a gear 95 is mounted revolubly upon the shaft. A pawl 96 carried upon the side of said. gear engages the ratchet-wheel as shown in Fig. 14., so that movement of the ratchet-wheel in the direction of the arrow will be communicated to the gear, while movement in the opposite direction may occur without the gear being driven. The gear meshes with a pinion 97 which is fixedly mounted on the valve-shaft 85. A portion of said shaft 85 protrudes through said pinion, as shown in Fig. 11, and fits revolubly within a ratchet-disk 98 which is fixedly secured to the rotary valve-member 77. Said ratchet-disk has but two teeth, which are diametrically opposite each other as shown in Fig. 13, and a pawl 99 mounted pivotally on the crank 93 is held yieldingly in engagement with the disk by a spring 100. The arrangement is such that by movement of the crank and pawl from the full-line position to the dotted-line position in said Fig. 13, the disk may be turned a quarter-revolution, providing that the pawl is initially in enrelapse gagement with one of the ratchet-teeth. On the adjacent ends of the hubp0rtions of the ratchet-disk 98 and pinion 97 there are axially overlapping parts 97 and 98, similar to the members of a jaw-clutch, said clutchparts being proportioned as shown in Fig. 14, so that there is a 90-degree clearance be tween them, or so that one of the parts may be given a quarter-turn without causing rotation of the other. Adjoining the pinion 97 there is fixedlysecured to the shaft 85 an escape-wheel 101, having in one side thereof a groove or channel comprising alternating ai-cuate portions 102 and 103 of which the adjacent ends are connected by radial portions 10a, the portions 102 being of smaller radius than the portions 103, as shown in Fig. 16. Adjoining the escape-wheel 101' a lever 105 is pivoted on an arm 106 formed on the bracket-member 86. The lower end of said lever has a pallet 107 which extends laterally into the groove in the escape-wheel, and the upper end of the lever is connected with a rod 108 which extends longitudinally of the base 17, as'shown in Fig. 5. The in termediate part of the rod 108 passes slidably through a supporting guide 109, and near the end of the rod a sleeve 110 is disposed slid ably thereon between springs 111 and 112 of which the opposite ends engage collars 113 secured to the rod. The sleeve 110 is connected with the forked end of a lever 114, which is pivoted on a bracket secured to the end of the base 17 so that portions of said lever on the opposite sides of the fulcrum thereof are in line with the rack-bars 37 and 66, as indicated in Fig. 5. The arrangement is such that the lever will be engaged by said rack-bars respectively at the ends of the movements thereof resulting from the power-strokes of'thc pistons in the cylinders 47 and 69.

At the conclusion ofany cycle of operation of the cutting mechanism, all of the parts of the control mechanism are in the positions shown in full lines in the several figures, and it should be noted that the valvemember 80 is in such position that the water supply-pipe 82 is connected with the pipe 78 leading to the valve 7677, while the latter is in closed position so as to prevent the water passing into the cylinder 47. Operation of the mechanism is started by moving the hand-lever from the position 3 shown in Figs. 1 and 12, to the position 1 indicated in said figures. By such movement of the hand-lever the crank 93 and pawl 99 are moved to the positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 13, the ratchet-disk98 and valve-member 77 being thereby given a quarter-turn, and the valve thus. opened to admit water to the cylinder 47. The movement of the ratchet-disk 98 occurs without causingmovement of the pinion 97, the clutch-part 98 moving away from the part 97 through the ratchet-wheel 94 moves under the pawl 96 without turning the gear 95. Upon releasing the hand-lever, said spring 92 tends to return the lever to the position 3, thus turning the ratchet-wheel 94 so as to drive the gear 95 and pinion 97 in the directions indicated by arrows in Fig. 14, but immediate movement of the pinion 97, together with the shaft 85 and escape-wheel, is prevented by the pallet 107 on the stop-lever 105, said pallet engaging the shoulder formed by the radial portion 104 of the channel in the escape-wheel. At the conclusion of the movement of the piston '46, by which the slab 0t butter is pushed through the first harp, the end of the rack-bar 37 engages the lever 114. moving the same so as to compress the spring 111 and pull the rod 108 to actuate the stop-lever 105 so that the pallet 107 will pass into the channel-portion 102. T hereupon the escape-wheel 101, shaft 85 and valve-member 80 are advanced a quarter-turn, being driven-by the connection formed through the pinion 97, gear 95, rocker-shaft 87, and arm 91, from the spring 92; and the hand-lever moving to the position 2. Theratchet-disk 98 and valve-member 77 remain stationary, as the clutch-part 97' merely overtakes the part 98 which was previously moved a quarter-turn in advance thereof. By the movement of the valvemember 80 a quarter-turn from its original position. water from the supply-pipe 821s admitted through the pipe 81 to the cylinder 69, while the pipe 78 from the cylinder 47 is connected with the drain-pipe 84. Thus, by actuation of the piston 68, the head is moved to push the butter through the second harp, and the head 3435 is simultaneously returned to its starting position by the counterweight 52, which serves to return the piston 46 and drive the water out of the cylinder 47. At the conclusion of the second cutting operation, the rack-bar 66 engages the lever 114, moving the same so as to compress the spring 112 and push upon the rod 108. The stop-lever 105 is thus moved to displace the pallet 107 from the end of one of the escape-wheel channel-portions 102, moving said pallet through the radial channel-portion 104 into the adjacent arcuate portion 103, and thus permittlng a second quarter-turn of the shaft 85. whlch is driven by the spring 92 acting through the described connections as before; and the hand- 60 lever moving to the position 3. During said both of the valve-members 77 and 80 are re-;

second quarter-turn of the valve-shaft the valve-member 77 is turned therewith, as the clutch-part 97 is engaged with the part 98 at the beginning of the movement. Thus stored to their initial position, the pipe 81 being connected with the drain-pipe 84 to permit the return-stroke of the piston 68, and the supply-pipe 82 being connected with the pipe 78, but the flow of water to the cylinder 47 being prevented, owing to the closed position of the valve-member 77. It should be noted that in each cycle of operations the valve-members 77 and 80 have each a total movement of one-half a revolution, the member 77 first making a quarterturn alone, the member 80 then making a quarter-turn alone, and both members then making a quarter-turn simultaneously, the several movements'ot the valve-members corresponding in time respectively with movements of the hand-lever from the position 3 to position 1, then to position 2, and finally to position 3. After the initial movement of the hand-lever the operations follow automatically in proper sequence, each movement being initiated by the completion of the preceding one. Thusflthe attendant or operator of the machine has merely to place the butter slabs onto the receiving table of the machine, against the gage-plate 32 and between the block 34 and the first harp 22, and then move the hand-lever to the position 1, after which the cutting and trimming of the, butter slab, and :the discharge of the properly sized prints onto the delivery table, will be effected automatically.

The use of the hydraulic actuating means for the heads which push the butter through the harps, is particularly, desirable owing to the peculiar characteristics of the material operated upon by the machine. The temperature of the butter slabs is, of course, subject to some variation, with a resulting variation in the hardness thereof. The slabs may be out, however, at any temperature above that at which the butter is stored (10 to 20 F.) without injury to the harps, and without causing stresses such as to vary the positions of the wires and result in the production of non-uniform prints; providing always that the rate of cutting is properly proportioned to the temperature. It will be obvious that with the butter at a given temperature, the application of a suitable constant pressure will force the slab through the harp at a fixed rate, and that to increase the speed of cutting will require an. increase of the applied pressure. It will also be apparent that with a uniform pressure the rate of cutting will be increased or decreased in accordance'with increase or decrease of the temperature of the butter. Now, by suitably regulating the hydraulic pressure, so as not to exceed a determined maximum, the greatest pressure exerted upon the push-blocks may be made such that no injury of the harps or other parts can result therefrom. Also, by suitable adjustment of the valve 83 to control the volume of water which can pass to the cylinders in a given time, there can be established a certain minimum time in which the cylinders can be filled with water, to complete the power-stroke of the pistons. As result of the two adjustments, namely, of maxi mum pressure and. maximum rate of flow of the water, the cutting mechanism may be actuated satisfactorily regardless of the temperature of the butter. Thus, if the butter should be softer than normal, the rate of cutting cannot proceed too fast, as the sameis limited by the rate of flow of water into the cylinders; and if the butter should be abnormally hard the rate of cutting will be slowed automatically to that which will result from the maximum water-pressure in the cylinders, said pressure being, as stated,

- less than enough to cause injury to the harps. The automatic operation is thus effected with entire safety, and, owing to the sequence of the operations being established automatically, by the completion of one operation releasing the control mechanism to initiate the next operation, the absolute time taken for any operation is immaterial insofar as it affects the control. In practice, the machine has a very large output, as with the hardest butter the slabs may be pushed quite rapidly through the short-wire harps.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for cutting hard butter into rectangular prints from refrigerated slabs having a thickness substantially the same as one of the dimension of the prints to be formed and having a length and width substantially equal to multiples of the other dimensions of the prints, comprising a horizontal supporting platform for the slabs, vertical harps arranged at right angles to each other and to the face of the platform, a head movable to push a slab across the platform through one of the harps, a second head movable to push. through the second harp the bars formed by the passage of the slab through the first harp, actuating means for movin said heads reciprocatingly, and control ing means for automatically alternating movements of the heads 2., The method of producing uniform prints of refrigerated butter, consisting in first molding soft. butter into a slab havinga thickness substantially the same as one of the dimensions of the prints to be formed and having a length and widthsub- 'stantially equal to multiples of the other two dimensions of the prints, refrigerating the butter to a solid condition to retain the same in the slab form, cutting the refrigerated slab into bars, and completing the prints by cutting the bars transversely.

3.. A machine' r utting hardbut er i rectangular prints from Slabs refrigerated names to a solid condition and having a thickness substantially one of the dimensions of the prints to be formed, comprising a horizontal supporting platform for the slabs, vertical harps arranged at right angles to each other and to the face of the platform, the wires of said harps being secured to provide a cutting length substantially equal to the thickness of the slab, pressure means alternately actuated automatically to force the slab through said harps whereby prints are cut with sharp unbroken edges in vcondition for wrapping.

a. In a butter cutting machine having ,a pair of push-blocks movable respectively longitudinally and transversely of a support,

hydraulic actuating means for said pushblocks comprising a pair of parallel .cylinders, pistons movable therein, rack-bars connected withsaid pistons, gearsactuated by said rack-bars, and other rack-bars connected with movable heads carrying the push-blocks, the latter rack-bars being driven by the gears actuated by the first rack-bars.

.5. In a butter cutting machine having a pair of push-blocks movable respectively longitudinally and transversely of a support, a pair of hydraulic cylinders, pistons movable vtherein and connected operatively with the respective push-blocks, a water supply pipe, a drain pipe, a four-way cock connected with said pipes, a pipe extending directly from said cock to one cylinder, a pipe extending from said cock to the other cylinder, atwo-way cock interposed in the latter pipe, means for moving the four-way cock to connect the cylinder-pipes alternately with the supply and drain pipes, and connecting means between said cocks, said connecting means including a lost motion coupling to enable movement-of the two-way .cock from closed to open position without corresponding movement of the four-way cock. 7 c

6. In a structure as set forth in clain 5, means tending toturn'the four-way cock, an

escape-wheel Y connected fixedly with said cock, anoscillatory pallet limitin continued movement of said wheel to a quarter-turn, and means connected with said pallet and actuated by the pistons to release the escape wheel at the termination of thepiston-movements.

7. In structure asset forth in claim 5, rocking shaft, means actuated by .move ment of'saioi shaft inone direction for turn--\ ing the two-way cock from closed to open position, and means actuated by movement .of said rocking-shaft in the other direction for turning the cock-connecting means tofirst; move the four-waycockand take up the lost emotion of the coupling device and then turn both cocks simultaneously to pqsitions correspending with the starting positions thereof.

8, The method .of producing uniform prints of refrigerated butter consisting in first molding so'ft butter into a slab having a thickness substantially the same as one of the dimensions of the prints to be formed and having a length and Width substantially equal to multiples of the other two dimensions of the prints, refrigerating the butter to a solid condition to retain the same in slab form, then simultaneously making cuts to divide said slab into bars, and then simultaneously making cuts across said bars to complete the prints.

9. The method of producing uniform prints of refrigerated butter consisting in first molding soft butter into a slab having a thickness substantially the same as one of the dimensions of the prints to be formed and having a length and Width substantially equal to multiples of the other two dimensions of the prints, refrigerating the butter to a solid condition to retain the same in slab form, then making cuts to divide theslab into bars and simultaneously trimming the upper side and lateral edges to cut the slab into bars of accurate dimensions and then simultaneously making cuts across said bars to complete the prints.

C. F. MILLER. 

